Need guidance for new BMW X3

[zmanjohn]

I would like to get a little guidance on a situation that I going to be working on and trough. Sorry if it gets a little long winded.
Story:
I have a good friend of the family that just traded her car in for a brand new X3. The color is Deep Sea Metalic Blue, she was able to pick it up either at the factory or at dealership next to factory and drive back home. Factory in SC we are in NC about a 3 hour drive. So when she got the vehicle home it was covered in road grime and full of bugs. I had asked her to not have dealer prep vehicle and to leave all protective covers on until we are able to meet. Unfortunately, she did not understand this or was not able to have this done. Dealer prepped vehicle and she drove home. Also instructed her not to purchase any dealer options for paint protection, but you guessed it, got a great deal $1,200 paint protection (not sure exactly what it is at this point) with clear bra (front bumper and under door handles) for a reasonable $800, (Sold!). She will be bringing the vehicle by tonight for me to assess what the plan of attach will be as this is a major investment and she wants to protect it the best she can.
The Plan:
I am not sure how good or bad the vehicle will look with swirls or holograms, will need to start there. Hoping that since brand new not in bad shape.

Exterior: (Tools available: Flex 3401 & HF DA with Flat pads and LC CCS pads)


(2) Bucket wash



Baggie test & Clay Bar if needed



Polish with Menzerna FG-400 and finish with SF4000



Top Coat with either WGDGS 3.0 or Cquatrz


Interior:


Cquatrz fabric & leather coating

I have not used the Cquartz products or system before and not sure if it is better or would be better to Opti-coat. Would like to hear some comments about paint sealants and leather & fabric protection.
Since I need to place an order from AGO, I wanted to get some more expert opinions before pulling the trigger. I will try and post pictures later tonight if I am able to get some before getting too dark and not raining.

Any comments are welcome, been reading a lot a little confused the best solution. Feed back please This will be my first go at a brand new car, most of my projects up to this point were rescue and general wash and polish.

[siberianrunner]

My DD is a 2011 X3 in sapphire black and have had good luck with only SF4000 on a white or orange pad depending on what level of correction is needed. I would doubt, unless the dealer has really messed up the vehicle that you will need FG400. I also use WGDGS 3.0 topped with Liquid Souveran which looks great.

[Evan.J]

I think at a maximum you will need SF2500 if you have it.

If she want C.Quartz give it to her if you think maintenance will be an issue.

[wdmaccord]

Agree with others on the polishing step. If it's brand new, you probably won't need more than SF4000 or SF4500 on a white CCS pad. If it has some minor scratches already, you could maybe spot correct those with the FG400 on an orange pad first (3" or 4" pad probably the best for this).

[zmanjohn]

My DD is a 2011 X3 in sapphire black and have had good luck with only SF4000 on a white or orange pad depending on what level of correction is needed. I would doubt, unless the dealer has really messed up the vehicle that you will need FG400. I also use WGDGS 3.0 topped with Liquid Souveran which looks great.

Thanks that is great news, everything that I already have sitting on my shelf.

[zmanjohn]

I think at a maximum you will need SF2500 if you have it.

If she want C.Quartz give it to her if you think maintenance will be an issue.

Evan,
Thanks for the info. I am hoping to talk to her tonight, about the sealant. I have not used the Cquartz, but have been doing some searches on AGO and it seems to be good. She has asked me about a maintenance program, but since this is not my full time job and I do travel, we were thinking of once a month, that is why I am suggesting the coating.

[zmanjohn]

Agree with others on the polishing step. If it's brand new, you probably won't need more than SF4000 or SF4500 on a white CCS pad. If it has some minor scratches already, you could maybe spot correct those with the FG400 on an orange pad first (3" or 4" pad probably the best for this).

Yes, planning on doing a test spot, as Mike always says least aggressive. I was planning on buying the Flex B/P system and getting some 5" pads. I already have a couple of 3" pads that I use on the HF DA, they work great for those hard to reach areas. Since it is new, it should not have a lot of correction to do. I just hope the dealer did not go crazy with anything.

[The Critic]

Congrats to your friend on her new car.

As the others have said, hopefully the damage will be minimal. I am personally of the camp which believes that paint is never going to stay 100% perfect, so there's no point in making it perfect. I'd rather preserve as much of the clear as possible and do a 1-step polish to remove light swirls and enhance the overall gloss.

With that said, I had great results with HD Polish on my Prius and found it to finish incredibly well. However, SF4000 would probably do the same thing, though it would take a bit longer. I would definitely suggest doing a after-polish wash with Optimum Power Clean (diluted 1:1) to remove all of the polishing oils.

This car sounds like a good candidate for Opti-Coat, but be advised that the car must still be washed very regularly. Otherwise, if contaminants are allowed to build-up, it may kill the beading and give the false impression that the coating has expired.

[zmanjohn]

Update: met with her last night and car looks great. it was dark and raining so i had to pull it inside to get a better look. only one small scratch, very light, showed i could hand polish that out with SF4000. ran her through all the options and she agreed the Cquartz was the way she wanted to go for now. she might opt for the opti-coat at a later time.
paint was swirl and defect free at this point other than fingerprints and marks from her daughter running her fingers all around the car.
she is taking it in Friday for the clear bra and dealer coating. i asked he to find out more about this as it is a deal option, but pformed by a contract company. i want to know what it is they are putting on. also gave her three signs, thanks to Mike!, that say DO NOT WASH to put on seat, dash and front window. hope this will help.
Will keep you updated. pictures to come later.

[zmcgovern45]

The dealerships around here offer a glass coating by Simoniz.

I'm confused... She is having the dealer coat the car AND you are going to coat it with CQuartz?

You will have to remove the dealer coating prior to CQuartz installation which means a lot of polishing.

[zmanjohn]

The dealerships around here offer a glass coating by Simoniz.

I'm confused... She is having the dealer coat the car AND you are going to coat it with CQuartz?

You will have to remove the dealer coating prior to CQuartz installation which means a lot of polishing.

She is not sure what the dealer or sub-contractor is coating or doing to it. I have asked her to get the information from them about the coating. If they are coating it, I will not polish and remove the coating, we discussed this. There is a cancellation policy on her contract, she is going to try and use, but she is not sure if it too late. She wants the clear bra to be put on, so she is trying to negotiate to have that installed and leave the rest of the car alone.
I will still do the interior protection with Cquartz for the seats and carpets. I showed her last night that her paint is in great condition, but due to rain and being dark I was unable to get pictures. The car dirty at this point, but in almost perfect condition.
I sent her away with a couple of options, but the plan right now is to allow me to coat with Cquatz.
Sorry, did not add the whole story to the reply.